Fabrics



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. G.- A. SCHLEBER.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

No. 416,380. Patentd Deo. s, 1889.

N. PLrERs Phulu-Lilhogmphc (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. A. SOHLEBER. APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

No. 416,380. Patented Dec. 3, 1 889.

(No Model.) 3- SheetsSheet 3.

G. A. SOHLEBER. APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

No. 416,380. Patented Dec. 3, 1889.

N. PETERS, Pholaihhngnphur. \Inhillgiun. DIG

V UNITED STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

GEORGES A. SCHLEBER, OF GREIZ 1M VOIGTLANDE, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 416,380, dated December 3, 1889.

Application filed January 23, 1888. Serial No. 261,566- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGES A. SOHLEBER, manufacturer, a subject of the German Emperor, residing at Greiz im Voigtlande, Principality of Reuss, German Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements This invention relates to the art of dyeing or fixing or bleaching or washing textile fabrics; and it has for its object to pass the fabric through the dyeing or fixing or bleaching liquor in a stretched condition.

In all the apparatus for dyeing or fixing or bleaching or washing textile fabrics with which I am acquainted the material is either suspended freely in or loosely passed through the liquor, or such fabric is made to travel through the liquor by means of rollers or over guide-rods. In this mode of treatment the fabric is not only free to shrink, therebv efiecting a loss in length and breadth, but it is also apt to become more or less felted and brittle and puckers together, so that the liquor does not penetrate and act upon the fibers uniformly.

This invention has for its object to obviate the difficulties enumerated; and it consists in passing the fabric in a stretched condition, both as to width and length; and to these ends the invention consists in means for passing textile fabrics through a dyeing, fixing, or bleaching liquor, substantially as hereinafter described and as claimed.

or the fixing or bleaching liquor, (marked A;) a frame R, for supporting the driving-pulleys or Wheels, that is adjustable to the width of fabric to be passed through the liquor and that is adapted to be enlarged or contracted for the purpose of stretching the fabric; a series of sprocket or other chain pulleys C, ar-

ranged in pairs on said frame; endless propelling-chains B, provided with means for securing the fabric thereto and for propelling the fabric through the liquor, and a suitable driving mechanism. \Vith such a machine I combine, in practice, a folding mechanism of usual construction.

The beck or vat A has its feed-end wall a formed at a proper inclination, and the feed and propeller pulleys are so arranged as that the fabric will travelfrorn the feed-pulleys toward the bottom of the beck to and around the first pair of low pulleys O, thence upward over pulleys G, down again around pulleys C to and 'over pulleys 0 again downwardly to and around pulleys C and finally around'pulleys C to the delivery or drawing rolls. The chain pulleys are mounted on short shafts 0 that have their bearings in frames R, that are adjustable toward and from each other. Each frame consists of two W, in which latter the shafts of the chain pulleys O to C have their bearings.

The frames R are preferably provided with carrier-wheels 9", that rest on rails S and S which may be secured to the dye-beck; or one of said rails may be secured to the foot of the overhanging arm of the U-standards S, as shown at the delivery end of the machine in Fig. 1.

D Dare screw-shafts that have right and left screw-threads from their opposite ends toward the center, said shafts having their bearings in the overhanging arms of the U- standards S, and serve to move the frames and the chain-pulleys to and from each other, according to the width of the fabric,'or for the purpose of stretching the same.

To the foot end of each frame, at the feed end of the heck or vat, is pivoted one end of a guide-rail E for the propelling-chains B, the other end of said rails being secured to bracket-bearings a, mounted on the hub of driving-pulleys L on a shaft L on which said pulleys are adjustable. The bracketbearings care so connected with the hub of the pulleys as to follow their movement when adjusted lengthwise of the shaft, but so as not to revolve therewith, and to this end the hubs may be grooved and the brackets loosely mounted thereon, provided with a pin or pins projecting into said groove; or any other wellknown means for coupling the parts to produce the results described may be adopted. At the delivery end of the machine there are also two guide-rails F, that are secured at II to an extension It of the front uprights of the frames R, which extend over the delivery end of the beck or vat A, as more plainly shown in Fig. 1. The other ends of the rails F are pivotally connected with bracket-bearings I), mounted on the hubs of the chainpulleys at forward or delivery end of the ma chine, from which point the fabric passes to the rollers of the folding device 15. By pro vidingpivotal connections between the frames R and the rails E F these parts may be adjusted separately, as will be readily understood. The endless chains B pass over the guide-pulleys L at the feed end of the machine and along the rails E to pulleys C G C C 0 C successively, thence to rails F, over pulleys M, that are, like pulleys L, adjustable lengthwise on their shaft M, and from said pulleys M the chains pass over guide-pulleys on m underneath the heck or vat back to pulleys L.

The frames R are simultaneously moved on their shafts D, as follows: In the arms S are provided bearings for a vertical shaftm, that carries at each end a bevel-pinion n and n, respectively. The bevel-pinion n meshes with a bevel-wheel I, that is rigidly secured on the shafts D, and the bevel-pinion n meshes with a like pinion p on a horizontal shaft 1). which shaft also carries another pinion 21 The latter pinions mesh with like pinions q and g on the operating-spindle 1:, that is provided with a hand-wheel 2, so that both shafts D are revolved simultaneously when the space between the frames is to be increased or decreased by revolving the spindle I in one or the other direction.

In order to secure the fabric to the chains B, the links thereof may be provided with fins or clips, or other suitable fastening devices may be secured to said links for retaining the fabric and admitting of the same being properly stretched laterally. The stretching lengthwise of the fabric is effected by regulating the feed thereof to the chains. At the feed end is arranged a guide (Z, that guides the fabric to the pulleys L and the chains thereon, and if said chain is provided with pins said pins will be caused to enter the edges of the fabric by the pressure of the feedrollers N. A single sprocket-wheel P for each chain may be employed to drive said chains, as shown, in which case the pulleys C to C may be simply grooved pulleys. The said sprocket-wheels P are mounted on a shaft and the speed of the chains B so regulated as to rapidly propel the fabric through the liquor.

It will be seen that by the described arrangement of operating devices all shrinkage of the fabric is avoided, thereby effecting a gain in the length and width thereof. On the other hand, the action of the liquor upon the fabric is more uniform than would be the case otherwise, while the distance traveled by the fabric in its passage through the beck or vat can be increased or decreased Within certain limits to regulate the length of time during which the fabric is to be subjected to the action of the liquor independent of the speed at which the fabric may be made to travel through the liquor. Irrespective of these minor improvements it is absolutely necessary for the purpose of uniformly dyeing or fixing or bleaching textile fabrics without shrinkage that the machine should embody, as above described, means for maintaining the fabric stretched both longitudinally and laterally during its passage through the liquor.

J is a spraying-pipe for spraying the fabric with cold water and cooling the same after it leaves the beck or vat when hot liquor is used, as in dyeing. 'It will also be seen by an inspection of Fig. 3 that the rails E converge or approach each other gradually toward both the feed and delivery end of the 'machine. The distance between the chains at said points-namely, at the pulleys L and M-is equal to the width of the fabric, while the distance between said chains at the pulleys O to C is equal to that to which the fabric may be stretched laterally without injury thereto, so that said fabric is gradually stretched as it enters the heck or vat and is gradually allowed to assume its normal c011- dition as it leaves said beck or vat.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a machine of theclass described, the combination, with the dye-beck, of endless carriers for the fabric and supporting-pulleys arranged to cause said carriers to converge toward each other and toward the feed end of the dye-beck, for the purpose specified.

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with the dye-beck, of endless carriers for the fabric and supporting-pulleys arranged to cause said carriers to converge toward each other and toward the feed and delivery end of the dye-beck, for the purposes specified.

3. In a machine of the class described, the

combination, with the dye-beck, of endless chains for the fabric, a series of superposed supporting-pulleys arranged within the dyebeck, the upper series of pulleys lying between the lower'pulleys, said carriers traveling alternately from the lower to the upper pulleys, and supporting-pulleys for the carriers at the feed and delivery ends of the beck,

arranged closer together than the pulleys within the beck to cause the carriers to converge toward said feed and delivery ends, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with the dye-beck, of endless chains for the fabric, a series of superposed supporting-pulleys arranged Within the dyebeck, the upper series of pulleys lying between the lower pulleys, said carriers traveling alternately from the lower to the upper pulleys, supporting-pulleys for the carriers at the feed and delivery ends of the beck, arranged closer together than the pulleys Within the beck to cause the carrier to converge to ward said feed and delivery ends, and guiderails at the feed and delivery ends of the beck to guide the carriers from the supporting-pulleys at those points to and from the pulleys within the beck, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with the dye-beck, of endless carriers for the fabric, supporting-pulleys for said carriers, arranged within the beck and adjustable toward and from each other, and like adjustable pulleys at the feed and delivery ends of the heck, arranged closer to get-her than the pulleys within the heck, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with the dye-beck, of endless carriers for the fabric, supporting-pulleys for said carriers, arranged within the beck and adjustable toward and from each other, like adjustable pulleys at the feed and delivery ends of the beck, arranged closer together than the pulleys within the beck, and adjustable guide-rails at the feed and delivery ends of the beck to guide the carriers to and from the pulleys within the heck, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with the dye-beck, of endless carriers for the fabric, supporting-pulleys for said carriers, arranged within the dye-deck, like supporting-pulleys at the feed and delivery ends of the beck, arranged closer together than the pulleys within the beck, stripping and drawing rolls for the fabric at the delivery end of the beck, and a spraying device interposed between said rolls and the dye-beck, for the purposes specified.

8. The combination, substantially as described, with the dye-beck, of the pulleyframes R, the screw-shafts D, and gearing for simultaneously revolving said shafts to move the frames toward or from each other, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

' 9. The combination, substantially as described, with the dye-beck and the rails S S of the wheeled pulley-frames R, arranged to travel on said rails, the screw-shafts D, and gearing for simultaneously revolving both screw-shafts, for the purposes specified.

10. The combination, substantially as described, with the dye-beck, the pulley-shafts L M at the feed and delivery ends of said beck, and the pulleys L and M, adjustable longitudinally on their said shafts L M, of the pulley-frames R, guide-rails E and F, connecting said frames with the pulleys, the screw-shafts D, for moving said frames toward and from each other, and gearing for simultaneously rotating the shafts, for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGES A. SOHLEBER. 

